Tuesday, June 07, 2005

For how long?

Of late i am posting serious blogs instead of usual crappy stuff... But i like it this way

The news of Nawab of Pataudi being issued a warrant for being in possession of the buck brought back not so fond memories of Salman Khan inicident. This time the former captain of india and 5 other people were found to be in the possession of 2 shooting rifles and a dead body of a buck, which is legally punishable offense. All this in the heart of a wild life sanctuary. This has forced us to relook at the wildlife sanctuaries and the importance that we give towards nature conservation.
I know its a serious topic, some think its a boring one, when compared to the listening to songs of Bunty and bubli. But i urge u to spend time atleast reading it. That the least you can do to this burning issue.
When we ask someone to name the top 10 crisis in the world right now... all we could think of will be unemployment, corruption, demoralization of the youth etc etc. Where will the depletiong natural resources and the unbalanced ecology be, surely will not figure in any list. A few days agao, not even mine.
Until i read about the Sariska shock, which i had experienced myself. Sariska is a tiger reserve in Rajastan. In 2001 we had visited. It boasted of having around 24 tigers, but not one we could see. We cursed our luck and returned. This sunday we read an article that shocked me. A reserve that was supposed to contain 24 tigers now contains almost none! It was a number created artificially on paper and for once their bluff was called off.
Despite being home to many endangered species, we have not been able to curb the indiscriminate proliferation of poachers. Black bucks, tigers , elephants, crocodiles, turtles, shatoosh deers the list goes on and on. What hits hard is that the idea of killing these animals is not survival. We dont eat their meat for living. It is lowly for ornamental purposes. It is so frustrating when i think about it... Thousands of elephants killed for tusks, tigers for skin and deers for hides. All in our so called natural reserves.
Salman Khan killed a black buck and it became a big issue for sometime... People slandering at him etc etc. But he still roams scot free. The indian legal system is still in its nacent phase as far as wildlife protection acts are concerned. More than legislations, in this regard, wide spread awareness is the real cure. On that front the government is not doing much. Probably thats why people like us, individuals have to weild the pen ( or keyboard) in an attempt to spread the word.
Poachers are not people who use these animal hides and tusks... it is educated and well off people like any of us who can afford to buy them. That is why my writeup is in this site. Even if one of u uses illegal animal products, i appeal to u not to buy any. The tigers have as much rights to live on this earth as much as our children. And they dont even look good on humans :)
I have written this when i was really frustrated with the selfishness of man. So forgive my sentimentalism. But hope u get the crux here.
Man need to co-exist with the other inmates of the planet, and not treat them like ornaments. Do what u can in small measures to protect our ecology
For what goes up, comes down

Saturday, June 04, 2005

Are there too much restrictions on Indian cinema? Or do we need to impose more?

One topic that has been burning at many places, and sometimes sadly too literally. The recent bomb blasts at the liberty cinema halls at the showing of the film "Jo Bole So Nihaal" stands out for the fact. that some kind of cinema, which provokes or hurts peoples emotions can lead them to do disastrous acts. Terrorism or no terrorism - the truth remains that innocent people were killed, in their attempt to put forth a point.

Showing smoking on screen has been banned by the parliment. A step forward or backward for Indian cinema? Thats the question on many minds. While the people for the ban argue tat the silver screen glorifies the act of smoking, thus encouraging young people to look at smoking as an act to look "cool". The people against the ban ( argueably tobacco manufacturers, who now longer will not getthose star endorsements) feel that people dont take up to smoking when the see it. Whats the dig of the common man on it?

Super star chucked his cigaratte to give in for the bubble-gum in chandramukhi. A great decision indeed!! with every other kid on the streets of tamilnadu trying to emulate 'Namma superstar', it is a matter of concern if the * introduction is in surrounded by cigar smoke. Well if u cant do any good, the next best option is not to cause any harm. This basic tenet is wat CM has tried and is seeing results comming in thru box fulls of cash @ box office.

And there in Bollywood is the changing trend of 'Item' number being all the more important than the actual film itself. "Mahesh Bhatt" - the leader of the Bhatt campagian who feel it is in their hands to liberalise Indian minds and bring it on par with the world. Churning out Murders and other flicks by the dozen. Picking up every other actress in the filmdom... Wow, they've extended it to the neighbouring countries as well. Thats what is called 'neighborhood bonding'. And their only mantra is that they've got to get the indian audience watch their films in this highly competitive market. And accept it guys.... Crap sells, we might love it or hate it but never never ignore a bhatt flick. Most of us just dont want to.

The truth sadly as accepted by most of the film makers is that there is too much mediocrity in th e whole film industry. They have a hit, and they keep dishing out either family melodramas or titilating soft porn, romatic triangular love stories or gruesome horror. And we all spend the result of the nightouts and mindbreaking queries watching total crap that is so volatile that it evaporates once we are out of the cinema halls. Hullo... I spend the amount close to one good shirt on a film in which the heroine barely wears 1 metre of dress??

The more we watch, the more successful the film is. And the film makers will keep dishing out those Kya Kool Hain Hums by the day. We will watch that too. A vicious loop. And our taste will reach such an abysmally low levels that we shall lose the ability to discern the difference between the moral and the immoral. The normal and the kinky. The sensible and the trash. All shall be the same.
For man is what he enjoys doing the most....

Television is not spared either
No i am not blaming films only. The television too has its own share to be blamed. Women are potrayed to be either the perfect incarnationof Saraswati and Parvati rolled into one, or the scheming vamps who have no reason to hate anyone, but still spit venom at the protogoanist. If not these two classes then she has to be this nubile woman bearing the brunt of the wrath of her in-laws. Where do we fit into the whole scheme? A normal lady/man?? There is no place for you and me in this muddle of characters. Coz our stories will not get the eyeballs stuck to the screen. Many of these soap operas start off on a different note - a unique story line that gets them all the TRPs. And once they do, they fall into the same trap. Love, extramarital affair, inlaws, outlaws, death of te main character followed by ressurection due to 'popular demand', the recent trend being makeovers.
And this is one trend that has cross lingual impact. If is Kyunki... in hindi, then it is Metti Oli in Tamil. Sure all the languages have their counterparts of saas- bahu serials. On the positive note, these serials have demonstrated one thing - boys can cry. Everyone in a serial 'has' to cry.
I beg for something different. I yearn to watch sense ( or nonsensical comedy will do). Something that does not make us irritated when we see gallons of salt water tsunamis in the eyes of the lead characters. Thats why Takeshi's castle or just for laughs in POGO is much better than prime time. No Sun, Star or anything out of the earth. Let me just remain on earth, with my legs firmly planted on the ground.

Wednesday, June 01, 2005

I dint wanna blog

My cellphone beside me, silent. Everything is quiet except my sidee's comp which has such a noisy CPU that we call it the 'maavu mill' . Wish the same traquility was there inside myself... sadly thats why i am here I am blogging... coz there is just too much on my mind to be handled by one person.

So long since I landed in chennai... 7 months since our training got over. We are grown up people :(
On Retrospection, there are many foot prints beside mine... Some leading towards me, many going far apart. This year has been such tumultuous as far as relationships are concerned. Friends, family and many other undefinable ones... Not handling it well enuf for an adult....(I hate it but yes, u cant remain a kid for long).

Loads of people whom i left back at BITS, havent seen them. But yet their stories are a part of our everyday laccha...
Some songs that remind me of time spent with someone...
Or that fun in the wing,
that spontaneous jig that me and vidhya do,
chottu bhaiiya's maggi, pratap bhaiyya's smile :), the indefatigable chimpu,
"KIRAN gate pe aao", guys desparate for an entry in MB,
that bee-hive in our 2nd year, first year MB nite,
walking on the ram-budh road and those blessings,
rushing for slots in S9,
IPC Qs and waiting for an hour 2 c 'that' mail,
waiting for dept work,
the sight of the mandir from fd2-fd3 corridor,
walking down from c'not,
cheering loyola during BOSM :),
waiting for RAF movies and the excitement,
CCPing the project reports,
how we plan for the next year apogee/oasis before this one is over, a
ttending a prof because well.... (u know why),
making a brave face after that dismal CG card,
laughing out our sorrows, throwing away anger after a few minutes....

All these memories come flooding because of the lovely people associated with them. And how many of them have i lost touch with since passing out.
If anyone of u is reading this, All i have to say..."I Love u. Thanks for being there. Do mail me asap if we havent kept in touch."